Now That You're Gone
by Sleepwell-Silverfox
Summary: Stefan, Damon and Elena. Two left together, one now in the clutches of a were-vamp. What happens post season 2? Mature themes, a DES love triangle with a bit of Klaus thrown in!
1. The Way of the Heart

**Hi, this is a collaboration FanFic. We write individually as Sleepwell and SilverFoxPunk, please feel free to check out our other stories. This is our second collaboration and we hope you like it! P.S. We love reviews as well as PMs ;)**

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><p>I toss fitfully, the slippery leather couch threatening to cough me out onto the unwelcoming hardwood floor. Why isn't it daylight yet? This night is endless, my thoughts twist as the clock on the mantel ticks away, each minute lasting a lifetime.<p>

In my head, her fateful words repeat, "It's OK to love both of them. I did."

Again and again, I picture Damon's face shifting from tenderness, caring, to dawning realization - he is once again trapped in a hopeless vortex of loving someone whose heart is divided.

But _is_ my heart divided? I don't know anymore. There are too many emotions, thoughts, memories swirling around inside of me. I'm so confused. I feel so torn, so lost. My head hurts. My eyes are burning with lack of sleep and rivers of spent tears.

Stefan loves me. My heart knows this to be true. And now Damon says he loves me, the words confirming what I feel I've always known. The senseless, impossible part is that I love him too. How is this possible?

Was it only hours ago that Katherine was gleefully telling us that Stefan has sacrificed everything, including me, the supposed love of his life, for his brother? I get it, he feels responsible for his brother. Stefan will do anything for the people he loves; he's like me in that way. And he loves Damon. Despite everything.

But my mind's eye returns to Damon's face as Katherine utters those words. I focus on the tremble of his lip, the sorrow and fear in his beautiful blue eyes as he drops his gaze from mine. Yet it is the quick flash of knowing replaced almost instantaneously with the expression of guilt that betrays him. He can't look me in the eye.

Because he knows that Stefan chose him. That Stefan will do anything for_ him_. So, where does that leave me?

I flip onto my stomach, covering my ears with my hands. I long to shut out the voices, the memories of this fateful, horrid night. But it's not working. I'm assuaged with visions of myself trying fruitlessly to contact Stefan. Frantically, repeatedly dialing his cell phone. I am flipped immediately to voice mail. My messages go unanswered.

Except the last time I call. When I hear that monster's unmistakable voice on the line. Announcing in his commanding, condescending tone, "He's mine now. Leave him be, Elena. He is not coming back to you. For the next decade he belongs to me. Oh, and sweetheart? Please pass on my regards to Damon, who I trust is feeling better."

My heart drops. What the hell is going on? I must scream those words aloud. Because the next thing I am hearing is _his_ voice, but it's not him, it can't be him. Stefan speaks to me gently, with love. _This_ Stefan is hard, cold, detached. "Elena, let it be. You have to let me go. Now pass the phone to Damon." And, god help me, I do.

I can hear their exchange. Stefan is equally harsh with his brother. "Don't come after me, I don't want that. I did this for you, for us. Don't put yourself in danger. If something were to happen to you, I couldn't bear it. "His voice trails off as Damon quickly tightens the receiver against his ear.

Except I still hear the tortured whisper, the words that are adding to my confusion, my torment. "Please remember that I did this because I love you. I will always love you."

I can't stand it any longer. I jump up and stride over to the heavy, closed drapes and throw them back. The shadows are retreating, it is almost dawn. I pound my forehead with a clenched fist. I can't believe what I've done. The images won't stop, the visions won't leave me in peace, they keep playing out like a movie reel stuck in a loop.

I see Damon. He looks stricken as he hands me back the now silent cell phone. The werepoison is leaving his system yet he is still so pale. I sit down on the bed beside him, placing my hands over his. I need to comfort him. I need to be comforted.

"It will be OK, right? We'll find him. He's smart, he'll get away from Klaus." And without pausing for breath, I continue, "But what does Klaus want with Stefan? Damon, what do you think is going on? What did Klaus mean when he said that Stefan belongs to him for the next decade?"

Damon shakes his bowed head. None of his usual clever, smart aleck remarks forthcoming. The expression on his face is inscrutable, his hands clench around mine, drawing them to his chest.

Pulling free, I strike at him wildly. "Damon. Please. What are we going to do? What am _I_ going to do?" My voice breaks; I can't hold back my tears any longer. My chest hurts, I can barely breathe.

The first sobs are a release of tension. Tears that I've been holding back while Damon lay dying. When I finally realize, no, finally _admit_ to myself that I can't lose him. My tears become sobs of apprehension, trepidation for what is to come. Fear for Stefan. I don't want to lose him either.

Through my blurred vision, I see Damon struggling. He appears torn, conflicted. He stands up abruptly and walks to the middle of the room, looking unsure. I need comforting and he knows it. But he is struggling with his own inner demons, thoughts that I sense don't include me.

He is so lost in his anguish that he doesn't hear me approach. I wrap my arms tightly around his waist. He automatically pulls me closer; one hand holds me softly behind my head. I place my ear against his chest. I long to hear a heartbeat, briefly yearning for what cannot be.

He strokes my hair and I cling to him desperately. I feel so adrift. My world is collapsing, the strain of the past two years threatens my tenuous grasp on sanity. Looking up, I see my uncertainty, pain and grief mirrored on his face.

"I don't want to feel like this any more." I say. "I just want to feel - something else." I let go of him long enough to put a hand on his face. Before I can question myself, I reach up to kiss him. I press my lips hungrily against his and know that he tastes my tears. He stumbles back, moving away like he's stung.

"Jesus, Elena. No! This is confusing enough." He runs a hand through his hair. "I can't... I can't just switch how I feel on and off again. Not with you. Don't you understand that?"

I'm crushed. I need him to need me, to be with me. I'm craving contact. Ignoring his plea, I walk towards him and take his hand, squeezing it, begging him with my eyes.

"I'm not asking you to switch off. I'm not, Damon. I want all of you. I want, this -" I step in towards him and place my hand over his silent heart. He responds, his own hand closes over mine. I want him to believe me, to know that I yearn for him.

But is that really true? Do I want Damon? I think I do. I know now for certain that I love him. I tell myself this is right, this is what I need. I have to to be with him, to feel anchored, secure. I want him to make me feel safe.

"You're just upset. You miss Stefan, you -" He begins, but I interrupt him.

"I _am_ upset. I _do_ miss Stefan. But you love me, Damon. I thought those words were going to be your last. I thought I was losing you forever, and I realized I couldn't bear it. Don't make me lose both of you, not in one night." I burst into tears again and this time he raises both his hands and places them gently on my face, using his thumbs to brush my tears away.

"Shh, don't cry. Please don't cry." He says. He begins to kiss me, removing his fingers one by one. "Come on now. I'm sorry. Please stop. For me." His kisses brush over my soft, damp, salty skin. The last kiss brushes my lips as gently as a sigh. He is going to leave me, I can sense it.

I can't let that happen so I push back against him, opening my mouth to him, catching his lips in mine. He pulls away yet again, and looks deep into my eyes.

He is searching for something. But what? Proof that this is truly what I want? Or is he questioning himself, wondering if being with me is okay? Whatever he sees in my eyes allows him to sweep me off my feet into his arms and carry me back to his bed.

Now there is no hesitation, no second-guessing, no pause for thought. There is just us tearing off clothes – our own, each other's - anything that gets in the way of our desperate hands touching each other's skin.

He thrusts into me before I have barely got him out of his jeans. I cry out and grip at the sheets. He pushes deep inside me, and I reach with one hand to grab the headboard and push back against him, looking into his eyes as he makes love to me with a ferocity that belies his earlier protests.

Our ardor is raw and honest. There is nothing sweet or tender about it. This is not about love, it is about pain. It is the expression of a longing that has been buried for far too long. A longing that I know Damon has carried around since he first saw Stefan and I together. A desire that I haven't allowed myself to acknowledge until tonight.

He comes with a shudder, abruptly, with no warning- no murmured endearments, no shouts of passion. He collapses at my side and rolls away, barely touching me. I look at him, knowing that I have sweat glistening on my brow, that strands of hair are stuck across my face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so, well... It's just that I..." He tries to say, but I shake my head.

"Don't apologize, not for this. Not for being with me." I roll over onto his chest and he places an arm around me as I lean on him and look up at his face. "I wanted it too."

"I know, but I was rough. I mean I hope I didn't hurt... Well, I don't want you to think that I wasn't thinking about you. Or that I can't be gentle or..." His tongue trips over itself as he strives to find the right words.

This isn't like him. If there are two things Damon never becomes flustered by it is women and words. Usually sarcastic, caustic words. I am almost flattered that he is struggling with expressing himself, that he is trying to explain his actions. I decide to put him out of his misery. I kiss his chest then look up at him again.

"I'm not going anywhere. This isn't the only time we'll be together." I smile, hoping that this is what he wants to hear. He looks relieved and closes his eyes. There is silence as we both try to catch our breath. I know he can hear my heart pounding, its return to a regular rhythm. Marvel at his self-control. I know that he must be hungry.

He looks up at the ceiling and says quietly, almost sadly, "Stay with me." I nod and curl into his body. Until I can't. I get up slowly, carefully. He isn't asleep but he makes no move to stop me. I throw on his shirt and tiptoe to the door.

Glancing back at him, I take in his naked, beautiful body stretched out amongst the rumpled sheets. He has an arm thrown across his face. I hesitate, unsure again.

"Just go, Elena." He sounds almost angry, pain evident in every syllable he enunciates. "We'll talk in the morning. We both just need some time alone. I love you. Always will. It'll all be OK, you'll see."

I descend the stairs, pausing on each step, terrified that he is wrong. How could things possibly be all right? Stefan is with Klaus. I am with Damon. Our entire world in chaos. I don't know what to think about the night's events, where to go from here. I don't know anything anymore, nothing is as it was.

I glance back up the stairs, wonder what he makes of all this, who he is thinking of. Because I do know one thing with certainty. It is not my heart alone that is divided.


	2. Here Without You

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><p>The cellphone is torn from my hand. I stare at him, stunned, as he casually lobs it into the lake and turns to me, a slight smile on his lips. His eyes search mine, looking for what, I'm not sure. He has just tossed away my last connection to those I love.<p>

I turn from his gaze, staring out into the water. It is dark but I can see below the calm surface, into the lake's murky depths. I am in pain. My body aches from the overindulgence of human blood. My soul is in anguish, I've lost everything.

I can't understand how our plan went so wrong. Klaus is supposed to be dead, Elena is meant to be free. Liberated from the ongoing, relentless persecution, no longer needing to look over her shoulder every waking moment.

I have failed. Klaus places a hand on my shoulder, turns me towards him. He raises a hand to my face and I flinch, an instinctive, protective reaction. I can't help it, he scares me.

"Shhhh" he whispers close to my ear "It's going to be all right, sweetheart. I promise you the worst is over. Saying good-bye to loved ones is never easy. I know, trust me. Staking Elijah was hard. Difficult, but necessary. Now it is just the two of us."

I stiffen. I do not understand yet what he wants of me. Why he has taken me from her. From him. I am tired, yet restless. Sick to my stomach, I feel the human's blood surging through me. My vampire nature lurks closer to the surface.

Klaus steps back. His face is gentle, soft. He strokes my face almost tenderly. I am confused. This monster obviously wants something from me. Something other than a killing partner. But what?

I'm not a particularly old or powerful vampire. He doesn't need my presence, my abilities. He possesses unspeakable powers. He is untouchable, unstoppable. I am at his mercy. He could have killed me, Elena, and Damon. Not to mention Bonnie, Caroline and the others.

So why didn't he? And why did he take me? What is he hoping to gain from my captivity? He claims to be fascinated by my past as a 'ripper'. But that isn't me anymore. I am too bound to humans, one human.

I love her. I need her. She holds my humanity in her heart and reflects it in her eyes. Every time I feel adrift, those beautiful brown eyes anchor me, pull me back. I can't exist without her.

And Damon. I almost cry his name aloud. What is to become of my brother without me? He is mine and I am his. Forever.

I snarl, my fangs descending. Klaus pulls back, momentarily startled. He recovers his composure quickly, however, and laughs, amused by my reaction to his touch.

"Come on Stefan. Don't be like that. You know we're going to have such fun together. Just think. No responsibilities, no emotional entanglements. Just two creatures of the night wreaking havoc, leaving a trail of human chaos in our path. Oh wait….we are not just creatures of the night! I am now a creature of the day _and _night. As are you. What fun. More time for death and destruction."

This fiend is a total psycho, he personifies evil. There is no humanity in him, no compassion for mortals or even immortals. But I knew this. That is why I've agreed to his terms. Because I must stop him.

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><p>The day passes. We travel on a train, our destination unknown to me. I am lying sleeplessly in a coffin. I think of how Damon would laugh. He'd call it 'old school' and would make some sarcastic remark to Klaus about how 'un-original' caskets were.<p>

My god, I miss him. I miss his fucked up logic, his tendency to screw things up. I miss his quick wit, his even quicker temper, and his tenacity.

Damon knew things were going to go badly. He is more realistic than I; he knew Klaus would screw us over. Yet he went along. Because he loves me. And he loves Elena.

For us he will put aside his anger, the rage he carries around. The fury he feels for his plight. Damon hates being a vampire. He detests it so much that he constantly turns away from humankind and all that it entails. He doesn't want to feel, to hurt.

It is Elena that holds him. She tempers his wrath. She tethers him to his humanity, as she does me. It is just different. And I love her for that. Because I need my brother. I always have. I always will.

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><p>It is nighttime again. We have crossed many state lines, moving further away from the ones I love. Klaus wants to hunt. He is hungry, he strives to keep his fangs retracted, his face calm. He pulls me along with him, out into the streets.<p>

I do not need much coaxing. I feel the hunger too. I smell humans all around me, their sweet blood scent drives me to distraction. Everywhere there are hearts pounding, arteries surging. It is too much for me to resist.

We walk deep into a city park, pause beneath a burnt out lamppost. Fewer people are here, it is late. Klaus rests his arm across my shoulder. He is aroused by the prospect of killing, I can smell his excitement.

Suddenly he pulls me to him and starts to kiss me, his fangs scraping along my lower lip. I don't resist right away. I don't understand what is happening, why he is doing this.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the young man. He is staring at us, watching us kiss in the shadows.

My mind registers what Klaus is about to do. But it is too late. The man has approached and Klaus has ripped his throat open before I can move. Or is that true? Could I have stopped Klaus?

My lips are on the still pulsing neck, drawing in the blood, drinking it down greedily. I feel the life force gradually leave the stilled body and I drop it to the ground without ceremony.

Klaus laughs and kisses my blood stained lips. "Good boy" he praises, "Now let's go find us another."


	3. If You Could Only See

**Thanks to all who are reading along. Another Delena chapter! (We promise there will be Slash!) Let us know what you think of this chapter.**

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><p>She needs to leave, so I let her go. I hear her walking down the corridor, slowly descending the staircase. Throughout the long night, I hear her tirelessly pace. She says his name aloud, then mine. I fight not to go to her.<p>

I smell her on me. The sharp tang of her perspiration in my sheets. I didn't make love to her right. I am filled with regret for what should have been.

I remind myself that I alone have created this situation. I was weak, I gave in to what I needed most. This is what she does to me. She leaves me naked and raw in both senses of the words.

I climb out of bed, my limbs heavy. I am reeling and rudder-less. A great chasm of guilt opens up before me, I want to fall in head first.

I have to find something of him. Its only been mere hours and already I can't envision him, I can't feel him; I have to tell myself what he smells like because the sensation is gone. I stumble along the corridor into his room, and pull his sheets around me. Stefan is wood-fire smoke and musk, Elena is strawberry lip-balm and almonds.

I don't know where he is, whether he has truly capitulated or whether he is fighting back. Does he have a plan to escape that will bring him home to me?

To us.

Or is he in pain? The thought won't leave me and my anger rises quickly to the surface. If Klaus has harmed a hair on his head... My fists clench and unclench uncontrollably.

This is me. I only know how to imagine the worse. He will put up with whatever he is going through with stoic nobility, because that's who he is. I hate that quality in him. I love him. I bite down to keep my screams of anguish inside.

I rake my hands through my hair. I feel so fucking useless. I shatter an ornament that I don't even know is in my hand. My knees can't hold my weight and I fall heavily to the floor, naked and sobbing like a child. I don't feel any better. I pick the shards of broken glass from my hand, revel in the physical pain that I deserve and then watch the wounds heal.

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><p>I'm in the shower when I hear her pass by my door. I throw a towel around my waist and am by her side before she can blink.<p>

"Where are you going?" I don't mean to sound possessive, or angry, but I am both.

"I have to go to school." She says, she doesn't look me in the eye. Can't. She pushes a backpack further up her shoulder. It is heavy with books, the ones she doesn't need left abandoned on the kitchen table.

"Today?" I am incredulous.

"Yes, today." Her voice is flat, emotionless.

"They won't expect you. Not after Jenna..." I trail off.

"I want to. I'm falling behind. I have to go. I need to check on Jeremy and the others."

She tries to move around me, but I block her.

"We need to talk, Elena." I know I sound desperate.

"And we will. Later. But I have to go. I can't be late, again." She says. She glances at me, sees my scowl. She can't hold my gaze.

"You'll be home by four?" I can't wrap my head around the fact that she is going to school. After last night. After everything.

"Yes." She says impatiently. "We'll talk then. I promise." Defeated, I move out of the way and let her go.

She smells of aloe and cucumber and everything but me.

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><p>The day is long. Too long.<p>

I try Stefan's cellphone repeatedly without success. It is turned off. Over and over, I listen to his calm, matter-of-fact voice stating that he is not available. No shit.

I call Alaric, the conversation is fruitless, frustrating. He wants to wait to hear from Stefan. He believes, despite what I tell him, that Stefan will contact us at the first chance he gets.

My frustration mounts. I roam around town, trying to catch a scent. His scent, Klaus' stench, any whiff of vampire will do at this point. I want to shake someone, threaten, bare my fangs. Do something rash. I want answers. I want him.

Back at the house, waiting, I think about her. It felt right being inside her, holding her. I love her. Sometimes I don't know why. I think she sees humanity in me. Or is it because she loves Stefan too? Is that why? Because she can see who we are and love us anyway? He is happy with her, content. In a way that he can't be with me. We are oil and vinegar.

I think about those last words he said to me. I think about how he used to look up to me and how I've let him down time and time again. I think about how we fight and draw blood and fall into one another.

I agonize, wondering what Klaus wants him for, and how I know he will stay strong, but I also think about how he needs me. It is why we drift apart and come together, we are the missing pieces of each other's puzzle. Our love is painful, irrevocable, everlasting.

My phone vibrates. I want it to be him so badly that for a moment it feels like an actual possibility. But no.

_Damon, I forgot I have an after school class. I'll be later than I said. _

I pick up my car keys.

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><p>At the school, I corner her in the hallway. She isn't expecting me, the look of shock and embarrassment tell me all I need to know.<p>

"Damon, why are you here?" She says, trying to brush past me for the second time today.

"Because you're avoiding me. And that is in direct contrast to what you said last night. You weren't going anywhere. That what happened was what you wanted. And now you can't even stand the sight of me."

"No... No, that's not true. It's just that..." I take her arm and force her to look at me. She breaks down a little, her charade disintegrating under my confrontation.

"What's your class?"

"French conversation."

"So that's why you left these." I tip the books she had left on the table onto the floor and she reddens.

"I.. I..." I walk out and she comes after me. I push through the students spilling into the parking lot, heading home to their happy, noisy, normal lives. I shove past them with maximum brutality.

"Damon! Damon! Please wait!" She is out of breath. She catches up to me, her hair catching across her face and I am transported to this morning with her beneath me, the sound of her sigh, her fingers grasping at the cotton sheets.

"Let's go home. Okay? We'll talk." She says.

I walk silently by her side, opening her car door like the perfect gentleman.

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><p>I stride inside the house and head straight to the decanter. She places her bag slowly on the floor and hesitates. She comes up behind me as I am pouring, touches my shoulder lightly, then rests her hand on me.<p>

I turn to face her and suddenly she is in my arms and I am kissing her and our tongues are battling for supremacy. I pick her up and hold her close to my chest and take her to my bed. I never get to touch that drink.

"This isn't talking." She whispers breathlessly in my ear as I carry her.

"Yes it is." I say as I kick open my door and lay her gently on my bed. She reaches up to touch me and I catch her arm and kiss the inside of her wrist, my lips imprint on her soft skin. "And I am going to say it right this time."

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><p>I am moving inside her, I am moving inside her and she is crying, and I think I am too. Our hands clasp and our tears mingle as we kiss. But they are good tears. She feels so right, so perfect against my skin. She is soft, warm and beautiful. I love loving her. I love being turned inside out by her. All the pain and angst and misery are worth it. In so many ways loving her brings me closer to him. She feels it too.<p>

She comes again. Her body arches up beneath me. I feel the waves of her ecstasy as her breasts push against my chest and her hands squeeze mine until our knuckles are white. She shudders. There is no sound, nothing that takes us outside of this moment. I realize I have never felt this connected to anyone - anyone except him.

I lean down to kiss her shoulder. I brush my lips across her goose flesh. I don't let go of her hands even when its not comfortable to stay like this because its how we are connected, and it feels like our current can only pass through if we do not break apart.

I come too. I spill into her and rest against her chest and listen to her heart beating. My lips rest in the hollow of her throat and I let her pulse speak to me.

I collapse by her side and she looks at me. Immediately I have to pull her to me. I hold her really tightly and bury my nose in her hair. I want and need her warmth. I realize I have missed the feel of a body beside me - not just anyone, but someone who loves me.

We lie like that for so long I wonder if she is sleeping, but I can tell from her breathing that she is not. I finally pull back from her and look into her eyes, and finally, her words come.

"When he said he loved you, he meant like this, didn't he? Like I love him. It's, it's..like this, isn't it?" She points slowly to her body and then turns her finger to point to mine.

She can hardly say the words, they stick in her throat. I stroke her hair. I don't know what to say or how to say it, words fail me. It is not due to shame or embarrassment that the words don't come. Rather, I want her to understand what he means to me, completely - properly.

I cast my eyes over hers, tossing away wrong answers in my head. In the end, saying nothing says everything. She looks away. She closes her eyes, breathes in, then looks at me, a new kind of pain on her face. "I don't know how to deal with that, Damon."

"I love him like you do." I grasp at an explanation, but it is awkward. Wrong. She rolls out of my grasp and sits upright. I join her, try to brush the hair out of her face - but she pulls away with the excuse.

"I need to go clean up."

And I watch as she takes her hurt, pride and confusion out of my bedroom. I fall back on the bed and curse.


	4. The Feel Of You Beneath Me

**Slash Warning! **

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><p><strong>Now That You're Gone<strong>

**Chapter 4: The Feel of You Beneath Me**

I can hear the music as we approach from the darkened street, the low thud of bass bouncing off buildings, the windows rattling treble. I don't know where we are but it is clearly a trendy warehouse district in this unfamiliar, inhospitable city.

I silently follow in Klaus' wake, close behind his shoulder where he likes me to be. I am an obedient, if somewhat unenthusiastic partner in his ceaseless, violent exploits.

A plethora of party-goers have amassed on the sidewalk, seemingly awaiting the arrival of someone significant. Many smoke cigarettes or strongly scented cigarillos.

They openly stare as we approach. I suddenly realize they aren't human, there are no heart beats. I've never seen so many of us in one place. It is both disconcerting and exhilarating.

I don't want to be here amongst the undead, being dragged to yet another night of drink, drugs and hunting. I want to be home with Damon and Elena where I belong. I push thoughts of them to the back of my mind, or it will bring me to my knees. I cannot be weak. Not here. Not ever.

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><p>As we enter the gloom of the building's foyer, he rings for the elevator and says to me, "Stay close."<p>

"Why?" I am instantly filled with dread.

"You'll see." He speaks against my neck.

He thinks I like his surprises. I smile and respond in the way he wants me to. I curl my hand into his hair and pull him towards me for a kiss. He pulls away with a "Mmm, nice", and I bite down the feeling of hate.

The elevator arrives with a squeal of breaks, he unlatches the gate and opens the door. I step reluctantly into the tiny wooden space.

He puts his hand against the wall and leans into my chest, his other hand finds its way between my legs. He squeezes and I shift, but his eyes catch me - dare me to react in any other way than the one he wants. I feign pleasure.

"Going up." He says playfully, eyes sparkling. I push his hand away, but am careful to do it in the same spirit.

"You want me to walk into a party like that?" I pander to him. He laughs and kisses me quickly, his tongue ravishes my mouth.

"Maybe we should skip the public appearance."

"Whatever you say."

"No." He says resolutely, straightening up, slamming the gate and pushing the button for the penthouse floor. "Not this one. This is going to be too much fun." He has something planned. I hide a frown.

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><p>The elevator clanks to the penthouse, I move out and am thrown directly into the party.<p>

Everywhere there are poised, stylish, beautiful vampires. They mingle with exotic drinks in their hands and expensive clothes on their backs. Thoughts of Damon fill my mind. Here, he wouldn't just fit in, he would shine. His sophisticated, dark looks, sharp wit and acerbic banter would draw admirers to him like moths to a flame.

"Come on." Klaus says. He places a possessive arm around my shoulders and leads me into the fray.

Scattered amongst the strangers are vampires I once knew. Killers who haunt my dreams and hold together the threads of who I once was. They remark how 'pleased' that the rumors of my demise were clearly overstated. They say that the Ripper is back and they are glad of it.

I realize with a sinking feeling that my resurrection makes me the toast of this party. This event is a celebration of my return to the limelight, he did this for me.

I feel his hand on the small of my back, then he takes me by the elbow.

"I told you to stay close."

I glance at Klaus, his eyes are not on me, they are watching for something over my shoulder.

"Get behind me." He says. I look puzzled and he pulls me away from the door. As soon as I step behind him, all hell breaks loose.

Someone has opened the door and suddenly a dozen werewolves burst in. They rip and shred and tear into the assembled vampires. I realize I hadn't even noticed that there was a full moon tonight.

Suddenly the eerie sound of otherworldly screaming is everywhere and blood adorns every surface. Klaus smiles, his eyes go amber like the wolf he partially is. He lays in, throwing wolves at vampires, vampires at wolves.

They are all his brethren and yet he kills indiscriminately - ripping out hearts, sucking blood. Tonight he is twice the monster he normally is.

He looks at me with a maniacal grin, blood running down his chin. He loves the chaos. Thrives on it. He grabs my hand and pulls me to the window.

"Jump!" He shouts above the din. We leap to the ground together. Five stories down, my fall is heavy, but he lands lightly on his feet and picks me up. He is laughing, like this is all a big game. I hear sirens coming from every direction.

* * *

><p>"This way!" He shouts breathlessly and we run through the streets. He leaps onto a rooftop and I follow. He is high on coke, blood and adrenaline and he barely notices that I have stopped, but when he does, he comes back for me.<p>

"Did you set that up?" I ask, the disgust barely disguised in my voice. He grins wickedly.

"You've got to shake things up once in a while!"

He grabs and kisses me. Puts his hands underneath the cashmere sweater he bought me, and runs his hands over me. He leans in and kisses my throat.

"I can feel their blood inside me." He whispers. "Did you feed?" He asks. I nod, but its a lie. He spins me round and starts to undo my belt with urgency.

"Wait." I say, putting my hand on his. "Not here." He growls. He wants me. He's pumped and dangerous when he's like this. I lean forwards and nibble his ear - whisper to him.

"I want to be with you all night, we can't do that here."

"But you are so fucking hot." He complains, beginning to undo my belt again. "I want you now."

"Patience." I say provocatively. "I'll make it worth the wait." I unpeel his fingers and put one in my mouth. I look at him as I suck on it. He makes a guttural growling sound as I run my tongue around his fingertip. "I promise."

* * *

><p>We reach a hotel and fall into the foyer laughing loudly. It is a quality place, and the staff handle us with quiet subtlety, hoping maybe that we will follow their lead, but we do not. Sober patrons glance at us disapprovingly.<p>

We are taken to our room, and as soon as the door closes he is on me. I kiss him as wildly as he expects, but I feel repulsed.

I allow him to pull my sweater over my head, and as I toss my shoes, socks and laugh with him, I fake excitement. I fake all of it. I don't want him. I loathe him. I think of my brother.

Klaus puts his hand around me and pulls me to him. He pushes me back against the wall and soon my trousers are around my ankles. I step out of them.

He is pressing against me, wanting me to respond, and I try to think of my handsome, chaotic brother. I think of the mischief in his eyes, his laugh, the way he always knows the right thing to say to tip me from rage to passion and back again.

As Klaus kisses me hard and I remove his clothes, it is not his face I see. He is admonishing me for not being hard yet, when he clearly is. I close my eyes. Try harder to summon the one I want to be with.

"It's just the champagne." I mutter as he strokes my cock.

I remember Damon's hands on me. He makes love to me with reverence, even when his touch isn't gentle. I long for the way he kisses me, teasing me with his tongue, candid with his lips.

It works and I stir into readiness. Klaus must be in a good mood because he goes down on me. He takes me in and sucks my cock enthusiastically. I look down on him, thread my ringed hand into his hair, and pull him closer. I picture Damon, his blue eyes looking up at me.

"Oh God!" I murmur, and throw my head back against the wall.

My left hand is on Klaus' shoulder, my fingers pushing into his flesh and I imagine the touch of Damon's cool skin. "I want you." I say, and Klaus looks up at me and I see the wolf in his eyes. He is happy with this. I have done well.

He is only half naked, so as I move to the bed he sheds what are left of his designer clothes and he leaps above me.

"You are fucking everything to me." He says. I know he wants so hard to believe that, so I smile. He grabs my hair as he hovers over my body and pulls my head back roughly.

I feel strong tonight. I don't act the way I normally am with him, I try something new. I toss him onto his back and as I suspect, he lets me. I can see from the crooked smile on his face that he is curious. I bear down on him, feel his hands feel the muscles of my back, they run over my ass and pull me closer. I grind against him.

I kiss him aggressively, my sharp vampire teeth nipping at his lips, then down across his chest. Flicking his taut nipples, my tongue travels down across his navel, through the dark hair trail that leads to his cock which I take into my mouth. I picture Damon's body; the tangle of hair I would run my fingers through, the way he'd arch his back to meet me.

I am driving Klaus wild, he wriggles under me. I wet my pinkie and push it inside him and his mouth opens into a silent gasp. I move slowly, sucking and kissing, moving my tongue under his balls and my finger inside of him. He pushes my hand away and turns face down of his own accord.

I am almost surprised as the wolf proffers his neck to me. I want nothing more than to take him down, but he is stronger tonight than ever, and cannot be killed simply. Instead I push his knees apart, enter him slowly, my weight pushing him down into the mattress, his flesh pinching mine and pushing back my foreskin so that even I moan as I move inside him.

He is taller than me - his shoulders broader, but as he moves beneath me, his moans being swallowed by his pillow, the man I see has less mass, is sinewy, perfect. There is that familiar scar on his lower back that I caused when we were children. I want to trace my finger across it.

I imagine my hand over Damon's, our fingers intertwined as I move inside him. I see my brother's face turned to one side, his hair uncharacteristically wild, his cheeks flushed. There was only one time he let me be with him like this. One time when I got to feel him vulnerable beneath me. I have remembered it often and I remember it now and a rush of desire comes over me.

I quicken my pace, thrust hard and relentlessly. Klaus makes guttural sounds beneath me. He throws out one large hand to steady himself against the headboard and the other grips at the pillow beneath his face. I am ruthless, our bed groans its complaint. I am lost in Damon. It is his body I am picturing around me.

_This night we have fought so badly - broken many things - but somehow we are drawn together. Without warning he is beneath me and it is wonderful. My God, we always fall back into each other, every time._

I put my own hand on the headboard next to Klaus', grip it for purchase - crush Klaus into the smallest space beneath me. He is moaning my name and I am biting my lip so that I will not say Damon's. I see the muscles in my hand contract as Klaus is telling me that he is coming, and I am back in that room, in front of that fire, and Damon is crying out beneath me -

_I am coming, I am coming, I am coming!_

And so am I. I shudder violently then fall across Klaus' body, but he immediately pushes out from under me. He turns so that he is facing me; puts a firm hand around the back of my neck.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" He demands, his eyes alive with fire.

"You turn me on." I say simply.

"I have to be honest Stefan, I didn't know if you would come round. But I am so glad you have. We are immortal, but together we can be invincible."

He sounds like a fucking joke. A madman.

He still has his hand on the back of my head and I stare into his eyes furiously, looking for what, I don't know. He rolls away suddenly and heads towards the bathroom. I fall back into the pillows. If I were alive my heart would be thundering wildly. I close my eyes and blink back tears.

"Damon," I whisper, "I miss you."


	5. I Am Still Right Here

**Chapter Five **

**I Am Still Right Here**

The weeks pass slowly. I go through the motions. I continue attending school. I talk to my friends, Jeremy. People outside our circle ask where he is. I don't answer. I don't know what to say.

The boarding house echoes with emptiness, loneliness and memories. Damon comes and goes. During his absences, I miss him. When he returns, I avoid him. He tries, he really does try. He aches to hold me, comfort me, love me. But I just go limp in his arms.

I can't respond to his pain, his need. He calls out to me, says he can't understand my sudden coolness after our initial heat. He says I am avoiding the truth, that I am punishing myself. But, the fact is, as time goes on, I miss Stefan more and more and perhaps I punish Damon for the fact that he does too.

I return to Stefan's room. I long to feel his presence. His sheets no longer smell like him so I try the closet. His shirts all hang neatly, perfectly ironed, all facing the same way. I sit on the closet floor, clutching a well-worn sweater to my nose. Breathing in, I catch a faint scent of him. "Stefan", I cry out, "Come back to me." What I mean is 'come back to us', but I can't say it aloud.

Because I understand now that I was never truly his alone. Just as I love them both, so do they love each other. I think maybe I have always known this. After all, I have borne witness to their push, their pull.

I want to understand how this all came to be. How did Stefan fall in love with me if Damon holds his heart? How did Damon come to love me if he and Stefan have this indissoluble bond? Where does it leave me?

So many questions. No answers. I weep silently. I feel hopeless, helpless, alone. Damon finds me buried in the closet. He crawls in, pulls me close to his chest and lets me cry.

"I miss him so much" I finally sob, "I'm scared for him. This is becoming unbearable. Damon, we can't go on like this. We have to do something. We have to find him. I need to hear his voice, to know that he is alive, doing okay." I know I am repeating myself, I've said these words a million times, both in my head and aloud.

Damon strokes my hair. He starts to speak. Stops himself. He seems to be struggling with something.

"Damon? What aren't you telling me?" I pull out of his arms, look at him, the shadows of the closet cannot darken the brightness of his eyes. I run the cuff of my sleeve across my face and wipe away my tears. I feel my anger rising because I sense he is keeping something from me.

"Sometimes, Elena, it's better not to know."

I sit bolt upright. And suddenly it becomes clear to me. He has found out where Stefan is, what is happening to him. And this revelation hits me like a ton of bricks. My heart sinks. I feel betrayed.

"You know! You know, don't you - where he is? You know what Klaus wants him for!" This realization hits me square between the eyes; he has probably known for some time what is going on with Stefan.

I pull back and scramble awkwardly out from the dark, safe place, with Damon clutching at my clothes trying to stop me. I push him away hard and find my feet. I pace around the large bedroom as he climbs out slowly behind me.

I am absolutely furious. I go over and I slap his face hard, my hand stings with the effort. Immediately I am ashamed of what I have just done, but the fact he does nothing and says nothing, makes me feel he expected my reaction.

He softly closes the closet door, leans his head against its frame. He continues to hesitate, his fingers clenching and unclenching repetitively.

"You want the truth, Elena? You want to know what Klaus is doing to him?" I swallow hard, my eyes that were only a moment ago alive with fire, now threaten to fill again with tears.

I clench my teeth. I will not cry now. I need Damon to understand that I can take this, that I can hear what he has to say without breaking. I push my fingernails into the palm of my hand and let the pain focus me.

"Tell me." My voice is hard, my words staccato.

"Klaus keeps him doped up on human blood. They attack humans, vampires and werewolves without restraint. They are leaving a trail of bodies from Missouri to Madrid. Women, children, they don't differentiate. Is that truth enough for you, Elena? Or would you like to see the pictures of their victims?" He sounds angry, his tone is forceful, harsh.

I bristle but keep my chin held high. Damon suddenly deflates, he looks defeated, tired. He begins again, his voice calmer, flatter. "He's in Europe right now." He sounds like he is reciting the world's most boring history lesson. "London. I think. It's hard to keep track. Klaus is careful, he has 'people' hired to mask their whereabouts, but the carnage they leave in their wake makes it impossible for them to be totally incognito."

"'_Hard to keep track?'_ Why didn't you tell me you were tracking him at all?" My temper is quick to rise again, my hands have balled into fists. "I've been going out of my mind with worry and you keep that from me?" I feel like hitting him again, so I walk out. I take the stairs two at a time, but he is at the bottom waiting for me. I sigh with genuine irritation. He puts his hands on my arms and I try to shrug him off, but he holds me tight and leans in to me.

"Do you think knowing helps? Or makes it any easier? It doesn't. I need time to come up with a plan. I need to know how many people Klaus has working for him and to predict where they will go next. I can't get him out yet, Elena. Be patient." He misunderstands my rage, so I put him right.

"_You_, its all about you. Where do I fit in? Was I ever going to hear about this? Or am I supposed to just sit here and wait uselessly for you to rescue him? And then what? Watch while you have your happy, brotherly reunion?" He gets it now, his eyes flare. I feel childish and surly and spoiled, but I can't help it. I feel excluded, unimportant.

"I am not going to dignify that with an answer." He says, letting me go. His voice is low and pissed off, but I am angrier still.

"You are still not telling me everything. Stop holding out on me!" I shout. His blue eyes flash dangerously. I set my jaw, I have to know it all, it's too late to go back now. I steel myself for an answer I will not like. "Why Stefan? Klaus could have picked one of a dozen willing vampires for his killing spree. Hell, even _you_ would have been a better choice." I instantly regret that last statement, I know it will hurt him.

He looks away and when he looks back his eyes have softened. He gets that I am angry, hurt, that I am lashing out. And it is obvious that he wants to shield me from this final truth that he is burdened with. But deep down, I already know why Klaus chose Stefan. I see the truth in his pain. When Damon doesn't speak, _can't_ speak, I answer for him.

"He wants _him_, doesn't he? Like we want each other." I turn away, and this time the tears flow whether I want them to or not. When he encircles me with his arms, I let him. He rests his chin on my shoulder and although my body is rigid with fury I don't complain. He lets me go, and he takes my hand, leads me to the couch. My tears stop flowing.

I stumble to sit down as he pours me a drink. I take the glass from his hand on auto-pilot, which is how I drink. But as soon as the pungent fumes of the liquor hit me, I feel sick to my stomach.

All this time I've been worried for Stefan's safety. I've been missing the gentle, compassionate, _humane_ Stefan. Being with him makes it easy to forget who, _what_, he truly is.

But Damon has never forgotten. He loves his brother, the vampire. He has been with Stefan since the beginning, through the dark times. He has witnessed Stefan's struggles, his desire to live amongst humans, his need to connect with his inner humanity. He understands Stefan in a way that I, perhaps, never will. Their love is not the love Stefan and I share, nor is it the love I have come to feel for Damon.

And now Klaus wrecks it all. He takes away Stefan's humanity, and tries to destroy our love for him by turning him, once again, into a reckless killer.

And I can see that Damon's love, his fear for Stefan, is destroying him, causing him immense pain. I can see it in his eyes, those eyes that were once deadened, soulless. I can see it in the set of his jaw, in the ever-present tic as his teeth clench together. And I can see it in the tenseness of his body.

I wonder briefly if he is feeding on humans again. Dismiss the notion as irrelevant. Which somehow strikes me as hilarious. There was a time when the thought of Damon killing, desiring human blood would have been disgusting, revolting. And I suddenly realize those days are gone. My world has changed.

Damon sits down on the couch beside me. He flops down onto his back, closes his eyes. I lay down beside him, he pulls me to him and I lie with my head where his beating heart should be. We remain like this for a long time. The room darkens.

Finally I speak. "Stefan belongs with us. _To_ us. This is not just his home, _we_ are his home - both of us." I pause, knowing he understands what I am saying. "I'm not sure what our future will be, or what will happen when he comes back. But he _must_ come back. So, we have to make that happen."

Damon says nothing. I feel his body relax as if he suddenly realizes he is no longer alone with this. My anger dissolves too, and suddenly I become conscious of the fact that the weeks of not knowing the fate of Stefan has blocked me to Damon's love. I wanted to withhold it. Punish myself and also feel a part of Stefan's pain. I wanted to ache with his loneliness, cut myself off from the world like he has been - but now I know this is not how to be there for him. What we have, we three, is our love. It is what ties us together. With that I know we are formidable. Klaus just can't compete.

Damon looks down at me. I move the hand resting on his chest into his hair and close the distance between us. When I kiss him, he is quick to respond and I know that he has missed me, he feels badly and wants to make it up to me. He slips a soft hand across my cheek and brushes it gently into my hair.

"I love you, Elena. I never wanted to hurt you."

"You mustn't keep things from me, Damon. It's the only thing I ask of you."

He looks at me and nods. Barely a discernible movement of his head, but it is there and I see it.

I take the lead. I pull him into a kiss which makes him move so that he is on top of me, pushing me down into the couch, making me feel the burn of wanting to be with him. His tongue is in my mouth and he is consuming me. Suddenly I want him as badly as he wants me. His hands are all over my body, pulling at my clothes, slipping open buttons, feeling for my flesh. Abruptly, he stops and looks at me.

"I want you in my bed, now." I am lifted into his arms, and gently carried to his room. He carefully places me on his bed. I watch as he undresses. As he lies down beside me, I run my fingers over his smooth chest, his handsome body. He practically purrs as my hands stroke away the remaining tension.

And, when at last, he moves inside me, I pull him ever closer. I cling to him, my hands run over the muscles in his back as my lips brush his shoulder. "Damon," I say, "don't ever let me go."


	6. The Sound of Your Voice

**We just want to say a big thank you to all the people reading and reviewing. You guys rock! Sleepwell and I (Silverfoxpunk) have posted stories under our own names too, so please do check those out.**

**Also, just a note to say you can follow me on Twitter silverfoxpunk. Sleepwell says "You probably don't want to bother following me NeverSleepWell, I rarely tweet, very boring!"**

**Chapter Six**

**The Sound of Your Voice**

My cellphone is vibrating. I am groggy, I guess I fell asleep again watching Infomercials. (Stefan's fault, he refuses to subscribe to anything but basic cable.) I sleepily watch the phone drag itself along my nightstand, catch it as it falls off the edge.

Glancing at the call display tells me nothing, it is an unknown, overseas number. I inhale. I am now wide-awake, alert. Maybe it is news of Stefan, it's been almost ten days since I've heard anything from the trackers I've hired.

"Hello?" I strive to keep my voice even, calm. "Damon Salvatore here."

"Damon? Damon, it's me. Stefan. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be calling, it's a stupid thing to do. I don't have long. He'll be back soon."

"Stefan? Oh my God, it is so good to hear your…" I am cut off, stopped by the anxious energy in his words. He keeps talking like I haven't spoken.

"I don't think that I can do this anymore, Damon. I _know_ I can't do this anymore. It's too much, all this killing, I can't." His voice is tortured, I can feel his pain humming across the airwaves.

"And the blood, it's changing me. I'm losing myself... So I want you to know, I'm going to get him to kill me. It's the only way. I can't have him coming after you or Elena. I'm going to end this madness. Tonight. I'll make him angry, he doesn't know his own strength. I just wanted to speak to you one last time, to say good... goodbye and to tell you... to tell you that…." His voice breaks.

"Stefan!" I cry, "Stefan, don't even think about it. I'm coming for you. You have to hold on, just for a little bit longer. Please, I am begging you, don't do anything drastic." I am on my feet, pacing the room. I speak urgently into the phone in low and desperate tones, "Do you know where you are?"

"London. A place called Blakes Hotel in Knightsbridge. But we'll move again soon. We never stay anywhere for more than a few days and we've been here two nights already."

Through my window I see the moonlit lawn. Dawn will come soon. That means there is daylight left where he is.

"Stefan," I continue to plead, "Can you get away? If he hasn't come back yet, can't you just leave? I can have someone meet you anywhere, anytime. I can come to you."

"No!" He practically shouts into the phone, "If you come here, he will kill you. And if I try to leave him, he will kill me. There is no way out of this. Don't you get it?" Hopelessness spills from his words.

I punch the wall in frustration, leaving an angry hole in the plaster. I sink to the floor, pull at my hair. Speaking close into the receiver like I am whispering into his ear, I ask, "What about killing him? Can you kill him somehow?"

"There_ is_ no way to kill him. He's indestructible, totally unstoppable." There is silence for what feels like hours, but is, in actuality, only seconds. "I miss you," he whispers, "I miss being with you, holding you, loving you. Christ, I even miss fighting with you. I go crazy thinking about you."

He falters, then continues. "But it's thoughts of you that keep me going. I have tried so hard to figure out a way to escape without him coming after me. But it's no use." His voice sinks into a barely audible mumble. "I have sex with him, Damon." He stops, I hear his tears fall and I break.

"Stefan..." I am surprised at the calmness in my voice, as I feel anything but. I am angrier than I have ever been in my long life. The rage is a slow burn that spreads through every cell of my being. I want to murder Klaus. He has taken my brother and turned him into the very monster he feared.

"Stefan," I repeat, "don't think about that. It doesn't matter, unless he's hurting you. In which case I'm going to rip his fucking balls off and stuff them down his fucking throat. I am going to tear him apart and…" My tirade is cut off by Stefan's laugh. A sound I thought I'd never hear again. I close my eyes and let it wash over me.

"Oh my God, Damon. I wish you could do all that, but it's never going to happen. No-one I've talked to since I've been gone knows how to kill a were-vamp." His voice lowers again, "He doesn't hurt me. Not intentionally..." his voice trails off and I inadvertently snarl as he continues, "but it's okay. I can handle the times when he's rough if I think of you and I together. Is that weird? Wrong?" He sounds anxious, like he thinks I will admonish him, think less of him.

"Brother," I speak softly, soothingly, "you can think of me whenever you want. Whatever gets you through. I love you. I miss you, I need you to come back to me. I don't want you to get yourself killed. You have to stay strong. I'll figure this out, I know I can get you out."

Dead air. I panic, thinking we've been cut off. "Stefan? Stefan!" Then, I hear his low, rumbly voice, the one I usually only hear when we are alone, when the night belongs to us. "You _love_ me? Damon, you're becoming a romantic."

I attempt a smile. "Maybe."

His next words are low, but sincere. "I love you too."

"I know." It is my voice that falters now, "You sacrificed everything for me. It's because of me that Klaus is doing this to you. It's all my fault that everything went so wrong, that Lockwood bit me, that Jenna is dead, that Elena…" I can't continue. I bite my lip.

"Elena -" he whispers, love and longing poured into three syllables. And then he surprises me, "She loves you too, Damon. She needs you and you need her as well. I'm not angry about it any more. I get it, I've had a lot of time to think. I see now that the three of us, we belong to each other, we complement each other. She's the piece of the puzzle that completes us, Damon, she's the one who makes us whole. I'm glad that you are there for her, that you can comfort her, love her. Be good to her, Damon, she's suffered so much already." I feel the last vestiges of my guilt fade away with his words.

He speaks firmly, clearly. "You have to be strong for Elena. When I'm..."

"Shut up about that Stefan!" I interrupt him. "You're not going to die. I've told you, I'm coming for you. I'll kill that motherfucker, I'll.. I'll.. I'll bring Bonnie. He isn't immune to witches' spells. I'll round up a few more witches, convince them to help us. We can do this, Stefan. Please, I am begging you." I sound desperate, pleading. It really isn't my style but he is making me crazy.

Sensing a presence, I turn. Elena is in the doorway. I have been so focused on Stefan that I didn't hear her come in. I have no idea how long she's been there, how much she has heard. I know that she can only hear my words, not his.

She looks stricken; her eyes wide and doe like. I hate the pain and fear I see there. I would do anything to ease her suffering, but I know she sees her anguish reflected in my gaze. Because I can't fake it right now. I have never been so scared in my life.

She runs into the room, snatches the phone out of my hand and holds it to her ear. "Stefan, Stefan!"

I haven't said goodbye, but maybe I don't want to. That word seems too final, too dangerous. Besides, I know he needs her too and I don't know how much time he has.

"Elena!" He almost sighs with relief upon hearing her voice.

I slide down the wall until I am on the floor, my knees bent with my arms around them. I am in shock. I think Elena will take the phone outside, move away for privacy, but she surprises me. She moves close enough so that I can stroke her leg, then she moves to sit down beside me. She holds the phone between us so I can hear him clearly.

I put my arm around her slight shoulders and pull her in tight against my side. Already I feel better with her close, her weight, her presence, her love for us both.

"Are you safe Stefan?" She asks and he tells her he is. He says that Klaus doesn't hurt him, but that he is sorry for the things he has done. "It's not your fault, Stefan. I'm not angry with you." She takes a breath as I stroke her hair.

"Babe, we both miss you so much it hurts. Promise me that you won't do anything stupid. Do what you have to do for that monster. Play along. Just stay safe until we can get you out."

"Okay." He gives in wearily. "Okay, I promise I'll try. Elena," his voice lowers, cracks with the strain, "Soon he's going to figure out that I'm faking. Werewolves can tell when you're lying, you know."

There is a pause and when he comes back his voice is stronger but hurried, "Shit, I can hear his limousine coming down the street! I have to go. Elena, Damon, I love you both. Always have. Always will." He is gone, the dial tone blares in our ears.

She lets the phone clatter to the floor and wraps her arms around me. I hold her and we are silent as our emotions wash over us. I bury my face in her hair as we cling to each other, both of us struggling to find some control.

"Damon, there's so little time." She says. I squeeze her tight. She pulls back and looks me in the eyes. "But we can do this. We have to." I think of all the times I have failed him and let him down. This time, I swear to myself, I will not. This time will be different, he will come back to us.

"We can do this, together." I say. She nods, and I feel hope surge again.


	7. The Juice of Lemons

**Penultimate chapter. Enjoy! For hints and more, follow us on Twitter - Neversleepwell and Silverfoxpunk.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**The Juice of Lemons**

"It's junk mail. Why would anyone deliver this to our suite?" He examines the envelope, it is addressed to the room. Has no postmark. It's odd.

He turns to face me, holding the offending piece of mail in his hand. The bellhop hovers in the door waiting for his tip. Klaus sighs, reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few pound coins. The boy nods and leaves.

I feel a trickle of hope prickle my skin. This has something to do with Damon and Elena, I just know it.

Klaus turns to me with a puzzled expression on his face. "Why would anyone pay to deliver a realtor ad to our room? It doesn't make any sense. I wonder if it's some kind of trick."

"Let me see." I take the letter and am aware that Klaus watches my expression carefully as I open the envelope. Inside is a realtor flyer, totally standard junk mail, offering to find the reader the ideal, affordable property in the best of locations. I screw the paper into a ball and toss it in the trash.

"Junk. I suppose they think it's worth targeting people in hotels like this. They probably assume if you have the money to stay here, then you can afford to buy property anywhere in the world." It sounds entirely plausible. Klaus pulls a face to indicate he thinks it's a stupid idea, but he relaxes.

He pulls me in for a kiss. He's feeling guilty because of last night, when he left me covered in bruises. He's getting worse. I have begun to fear he will kill me without even meaning to. I steal myself to his embrace, but this time he is gentle.

"Listen, I am going out to run some errands." He says. "Find some way to entertain yourself. I'll be back to take you to dinner. Mario will take care of you." He nods to the ever-present bodyguard outside our door who follows me around like a bad smell. He is human, but his gun is loaded with wooden bullets. I am sure he would indeed 'take care of me' if he had to.

"Sure." I say. "I'll order up some room service. Flex your plastic with some champagne and lobster." He gives me a smile, but there is little warmth in it.

"I trust you'll be a good boy." The 'or else' is heavily implied.

As soon as he is out the door I run to the trash can with vampire speed. I tune my hearing to his footsteps to make sure he won't return and I delve into the basket to see what the note really is.

I flatten the wrinkled paper on the opulent desk and examine it closely. It seems to be genuine junk mail - a flyer from a high end European realtor asking if we want to buy property in the Maldives. I pick it up and put it to my nose.

Elena! I can smell her on this. Not her fragrance, (she is too smart for that), but she has brushed her lips across the paper. I move my nose across the letter and I also smell Damon.

I look really closely, focus my eyesight on the grain of the page and I can make out my brother's deliberate thumbprint. My mind immediately pictures him rubbing that thumb over my cheek. I breathe in the flyer again, let their scent wash over me. In this single moment, I feel they are here, protecting me. I bite my bottom lip to stop a sob. If I make a noise, the guard outside will report it.

I know there has to be more. I look at the content of the flyer for codes, check the first letters and the last ones of every sentence - look for patterns. I waste twenty minutes looking at different pattern combinations, trying to crack a code that isn't there. Frustrated, I get up to make coffee.

Since coming to London all Klaus drinks (ostentatiously) is lemon tea. I see the freshly sliced lemon laid out on the delicate, china dish for him and suddenly it hits me. Of course! Lemons!

I run back to the letter, grab it, fling the curtains closed and switch on the reading lamp. My mind races back to one of the first conversations Elena and I ever had.

"_Bonnie, Caroline and I have been friends forever. In First Grade we used to write secret letters to each other with the juice of lemons, so if the teacher caught us passing notes, they just saw a blank piece of paper. To see what you have written, you have to heat the letter by shining a light on the page."_

I remembered laughing at her mischievous smile. She loves nothing better than to get away with something.

I hold the flyer up to the lamp and wait a few seconds. And there it is. A First Grader's trick that could save my life. Ten simple words.

WEREWOLF VAMPIRE COMBINED ATTACK MIDNIGHT SIXTEENTH. GET OUT. COME HOME.

I check the calendar, that's tonight! I close my eyes and fight the relief. I scrunch the letter back into a ball and put it back in the trash. I wipe my fingerprints off the desk and the trash can. I don't want any minor detail to jeopardize my escape attempt tonight.

I pace the room thinking what to do next. I don't have a watch (Klaus took mine away), but I switch on the TV and find the 24-hour news; apparently it's only 11am.

I lie on the bed and leave the news on in the background, hoping that Mario outside will assume I am mindlessly watching TV. I need to come up with a plan. How do I get out before midnight?

I can't help but wonder too how they did it. How did they persuade vampires and werewolves to work together? And then I think of Seattle, the massacre there. I picture Klaus tossing weres at vamps and the death and destruction everywhere. He was reckless, dangerous and a risk to both groups. It wouldn't be too hard to persuade either that he needed taking out.

But working together? That must have been hard to achieve. I suspect Elena's hand working on Tyler, and Damon would have gone to Katherine. An opportunity to take out Klaus for good would be just the perfect undertaking for her.

I grin. Sling my hands behind my head. I cannot wait for the hours to pass.

"Mario." I call out, he opens the door and leans his head in. His pallor ghostly against the black of his suit. His neck is so thick the collar cuts in.

"Sir?"

"I need blood."

"Right away, sir." He closes the door and I hear him giving instructions on his radio. I need to be strong for this evening. I need to be prepared for anything. But I know one thing for certain. This will be my only shot.

* * *

><p>We go out for dinner. I anxiously cast my eyes over other people's watches and mobile phones trying to see what time it is. I want him to finish his tea with fresh lemons (thank God for the pretentious habit) so we can get back. He doesn't look one bit like he wants to leave. He orders a liqueur. I bite back a sigh.<p>

I have planned for everything, except for being stuck in central London in an expensive restaurant.

"Klaus." I say. "When are we heading back to the room?" I take his hand and he looks at me a bit surprised. It's been a long time since I took the initiative.

"Soon. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"You know why. It's all your fault, you ordered me oysters and you know they're an aphrodisiac."

He laughs.

"Okay, I'll get the bill." He says and signals for it. Thank God.

* * *

><p>11.30 pm. I have to put my plan into action fast. I pour him a drink and send Mario home. Klaus doesn't see the need for a 24-hour guard, when he is with me, he is threat enough. I move over to him and beginning kissing him hard. He responds readily and I pull back and tell him I have a surprise for him. He looks pleased.<p>

"What have you been up to?" He says suspiciously, but pleasantly so. "Is this why you and Mario disappeared to go shopping in Soho?"

"Might be." I say, smiling coyly. I pull out of my back pocket the handcuffs I did indeed go with Mario to Soho to buy. They are cheap sex-shop ones and he laughs heartily.

"Naughty boy." He says, pulling me to the bed. "I like the way you think." I am straddling him and he reaches up and tries to take the handcuffs from me, naturally assuming he will be using them on me. I pull back, holding the cuffs above my head in a teasing motion.

"Uh-uh, this was my idea." I say. And at first I think he will refuse, so I put the key in my lips, kiss him, pass it to him with my tongue. He grins, takes the key from his mouth and puts it in his pocket.

"Okay!" He laughs. I loosen his tie, slip it around his eyes and pull it tight.

"No fair." He complains. I kiss him hungrily, push my tongue deep into his mouth, caress his dick through his pants. He stops complaining. When I pull away he actually says, "Aren't you full of surprises tonight?"

"You bet."

I keep going, I am trying to create a mood, set the stage for a sex scene that will distract him, keep his mind on the thing he loves best next to killing. I rip his clothes off, tear them from his body with vampire strength. He loves that. I kiss down his body, but it is only a tease. He twitches in response. I push his arms back, slide my hands up them as I push them towards the iron bedstead. This is when I make the switch.

What he has seen is the sex shop handcuffs I bought, and it will be these he assumes he will be tied up with. The ones he has the key for. But earlier, I had seen my opportunity and taken it. The second pair of cuffs in my back pocket are real. These are the ones I tie him to the bed with.

* * *

><p>Getting the handcuffs had been risky. I had to be bold, as I knew this was my only chance.<p>

On our way into London, I told Klaus I wanted to shop, this was nothing new and he left Mario and I to it. I picked a sex shop in central Soho, because I knew the area was heavily patrolled by police.

Mario didn't want to be inside at all, he hovered near the exit looking uncomfortable while I browsed. I found the sleaziest most complicated looking outfit I could find and told him I was going to try it on. He nodded. I had bought myself five minutes.

With vampire speed I shot out the back door and grabbed the cop I had spotted on our way. Compelling her was like taking candy from a baby and I quickly returned to the shop with her handcuffs.

I was gone less than three minutes by the time I sauntered out of the fitting room. The shop assistant turned to me hopefully, thinking he had a big sale.

"I'll just take these." I said. And bought the £5 handcuffs.

* * *

><p>Klaus' hands are anchored to the bed, I have to move. We have taken a good fifteen minutes to get this far. He keeps asking me if I am going to tie his feet as well, so I find two more ties, spread his legs apart and fasten ankles to the bedposts. I kiss him one last time and leave him behind.<p>

I walk out the front door with Klaus calling my name. "Stefan? Stefan. Come back you tease. Where are you?" He purrs, thinking I am fetching another toy for our game.

With his strength, it will take him only seconds to break free of a cast iron bedstead and police-issue handcuffs. The way I see it, as soon as he figures out he's been played, I'm as good as dead.

Unless I've timed this perfectly.

I move rapidly through the corridor, I can hear the hotel foyer filling with strangers. I run at human speed and as soon as I see my opportunity, I exit and jump to the rooftop.

I hear them attack. It is over quickly. At least fifty vampires and werewolves are now celebrating, in unison, the death of a common enemy. I almost can't believe it. Klaus is dead.

I take flight. If the victors catch me now they may not be convinced of my innocence, no matter who leads them. They are all fired up.

I pull out Klaus' credit card and smile; I'll keep my promise to flex his plastic. I will fly back to my loved ones in first-class.

My head spins with the sense of freedom.

* * *

><p>It is midnight in Mystic; the streets are empty. I embrace the quiet and let it calm the turbulence inside of me. The taxi driver is so slow and careful that I tell him with irritation to pull over, knowing I can run faster. As soon as he drives away, I speed through the woods until I reach our grounds.<p>

I see the facade of the boarding house, a lump comes to my throat. I have to stop running because my eyes have misted. I walk slowly to the front door as Damon flings it open. Elena runs past him, her arms spread wide.

I am home.


	8. No Greater Love

**Hi folks. Well, here it is. The final chapter. We hope you like it.**

**You get to hear everybody's thoughts - Damon, Stefan and Elena. Hope you don't find it too confusing.**

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**Until the next time! xx**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: No Greater Love<strong>

My initial joy at having him home has been replaced with a burning rage. I want to break something, hurt someone. I glance towards Elena and catch her eye. Her expression tells me she knows exactly how I'm feeling. Her look cautions me. This is about Stefan, not my anger towards the one who has hurt him, left him broken.

I walk up to my brother who is standing, looking out at the dark. His lean frame is taut, he is barely holding himself together. He has just finished recounting the horror of his absence. I want to comfort him, let him know he is not alone, that we love him.

He hears me approach and turns into my embrace. My arms enfold him and I draw him close. He relaxes slightly, rests his head on my shoulder and hugs me back. We stand like this for what feels like forever, yet it is not long enough. God, how I have missed him.

* * *

><p>I watch them through a cloud of tears. The love radiating from them allows me to see what I have always sensed. Stefan and Damon belong together, they love each other, they <em>are<em> each other.

I had wondered how it would be for the three of us, had speculated about our reunion. I had worried that things would be awkward, uncomfortable.

Seeing them together, however, feels so freeing. I know that Damon and Stefan are my destiny. I love them both. It is such a simple realization and yet it hits me with full force. There are no reasons, deeds or words that can get between us any more.

I continue to watch as Damon pulls back, places a hand on either side of his brother's face and peers intently, deeply into his eyes. I see such love in that look, so many wordless thoughts pass between them. Stefan melts into Damon's kiss.

I surprise myself. I do not feel shock, distaste or even jealousy. Something that should be unnatural feels anything but. It is beautiful. Only then do I notice I have been holding my breath.

It catches as they reacquaint themselves; touching each other eagerly, hungrily, with an affection that is all prevailing. Stefan is letting go of the awfulness, allowing Damon to bring him back to us with his touch. Their kiss deepens and I feel an ache, a warmth that throbs between my legs. I want to be a part of this. I need this too.

* * *

><p>As if by unspoken agreement, Damon and I pull apart, simultaneously turning to look towards Elena. She is standing facing us, her face partially obscured through a cascade of hair. Her dark eyes are open wide and there is a faint blush on her cheeks.<p>

I feel a rush of anxiety, I am unsure of her reaction to our obvious passion, our pleasure in being able to touch each other once again. I glance sideways at Damon. He has that familiar half smile he resorts to when nervous, his one eyebrow raised.

Before either of us can speak or make a move towards her, she walks across the room, places one arm around Damon, the other around me. We stand there together, encircled. We allow ourselves time to adjust, the three of us physically connected is something new, something to be cherished. To me it feels healing, wonderful, right.

Finally, I press my lips atop her head, breathe in her scent. Choke back a chuckle, Damon has done the same thing. She is the one who laughs out loud, sounding a bit hysterical. I guess she is feeling a little unsure of herself, none of us knows exactly how to handle what is happening between us.

I feel I should take charge, put Elena at ease, slow Damon down. After all, I am the one who holds them together, who is always there for them. But I am vulnerable now. I need to be held, to be made love to, I need to feel my humanity return. This is hard for me to admit, it is yet impossible to say aloud. I wait.

* * *

><p>I feel Elena tremble and sense the longing in Stefan. I need them both, <em>now<em>, anticipation rising with their closeness, their touch. Elena turns her face upwards and I bend to capture her lips with mine.

Our kiss is hard, demanding. She tastes so good, I can't help myself, I moan and part her lips, entangle her tongue with mine. She stops trembling with anxiety and trembles instead with an awakening desire that I know Stefan senses too.

Opening my eyes, I see her take Stefan's hand. She holds onto him like he's a life line and then, surprising but delighting me at the same time, she hesitantly slides his hand between her legs. Stefan gasps and I feel her begin to rock into his hand, seeking the pressure of his touch.

I am amazed at how natural this all feels, how right. Continuing to kiss her deeply, I reach out and place a hand on Stefan's erection, rubbing him through his pants. I hear that familiar grunt he makes whenever he's first touched. Elena smiles against my lips, she recognizes the sound as well.

* * *

><p>This is crazy. But fantastic. Elena drags her lips from Damon's and looks towards me. I kiss her carefully, trying to convey my need of her while respecting how uncertain she might be of what is happening.<p>

She tastes and smells of Damon and it makes me shudder. I can't help my growing excitement. Any remaining hesitancy on her part is fast disappearing, her kiss imparts desire and Damon is driving me wild with his hand. I respond to their excitement, let myself go.

After a moment, she breaks our kiss. Reaching up, she places a hand first behind my neck, the other then on the nape of Damon's. She bites her lower lip and gently draws our heads together. As my lips meet Damon's, she slides her arms down our backs, caressing us, watching us.

I see happiness and desire in her eyes before I close mine, reveling in the moment. And then I want more. I want to feel them, touch every inch of their wondrous bodies, sink into them. My pain of the last weeks is fading, I am falling into the two I love.

* * *

><p>The bedroom is quiet except for the sounds of their kissing. And perhaps my breathing, which is becoming increasingly uneven. Damon's lips may be on Stefan's, but his fingers stroke my spine. Stefan's hand rests on my waist and slips down further. Their fingers meet and intertwine behind my back, and as if sharing a thought, they pull me closer against both their bodies.<p>

The sensations I am experiencing are unexpected but thrilling. I am more aroused with each passing second.

I pull back from our closed circle, the brothers break their hold and kiss and turn to me, Stefan concerned, Damon smiling. Shocking myself, I pull my sweater over my head and drop it at my feet. My bra follows. I lower my eyes and blush. It was a spontaneous gesture that I'm now regretting. I feel very exposed, open.

I needn't have worried. No sooner has my lingerie touched the floor, Stefan's arms sweep me up and carry me to the bed. He places me upon the soft covers as if I were fragile, precious.

He leans forward to kiss me and I tug at his shirt, pull it over his head. His torso is paler than usual, and he still carries scars. I feel a rush of pain at seeing him injured.

Apparently were-vamp inflicted wounds do not heal quickly. I trace my finger over the ugly scar across his heart. This is not how I am used to seeing him.

I hear Damon growl and know that he has also borne witness to Klaus' assault. "Damon," I admonish gently, "he is here now. Stefan's safe. It's going to be okay, we are all okay. Please don't be angry."

Damon jumps onto the bed beside me. Crushes in close and places his hand on my hip. Stefan leans across and kisses his brother's scowling face. "Damon," he whispers, "believe me, Klaus is the _last_ thing on my mind right now. You and Elena you are what matters to me. You two are so beautiful, so perfect." He brushes his hand across my cheek, then moves it to Damon's chin, tipping his face up so that Damon meets his eye. "_This_ is perfect. So, please. Don't let him ruin what we have right now. He's gone and we're here. Together." He smiles gently, and at that Damon capitulates, he leans above me and kisses Stefan slowly. As they part, Stefan gently caresses my breast, his thumb lingering lightly on my nipple. He smiles down at me.

"God, I want this, I want the three of us to make love. I love you both so much and I thought I'd lost you. I never want to feel that hurt again. Please. Just be with me." His voice fades.

Damon smiles at last, he leans down and eagerly takes one of my breasts into his mouth. Stefan follows his lead and a lingering sigh escapes my lips as they both lick, tease and nibble. They break, smiling, reach across me and kiss each other, their tongues exploring each other in long strokes.

I physically ache for them. I have a fire burning between my legs and my heart is filled to bursting.

* * *

><p>I want to do as he asks, I want to help him forget. I pull myself into a kneeling position. Stefan is lying on the other side of Elena, gently kneading her breasts as he nuzzles her neck.<p>

Her dark eyes watch me as I quickly undo the buttons of my shirt, toss it aside. I undo the zipper on my jeans and pull out my half-hard cock. Watching him touch her excites me and I know I will be hard with only a few strokes of my hand. As I touch myself, I feel her hand reach out to me. I groan as her fingers envelop mine.

I lean over. She willingly lifts her hips as I tug away her jeans and panties in one motion. Christ. She is naked and she is so beautiful. Stefan is kissing her deeply and she is almost breathless.

Standing off the bed, I strip and crawl back up. Her legs are parted, Stefan's fingers move inside her, cause her to moan and arch her back as he kisses her. My own tongue joins them, licks his fingers as they move, let her taste overwhelm me. I reach between my own legs and thrust my throbbing cock into my fist, matching the rhythm of Stefan's hand and my tongue.

Stefan's fingers pull away and I am left to continue. I push her legs wider, stroke her thighs while her hand curls into my hair. Stefan strokes her shoulder and smiles as he watches.

She pants as my tongue probes, licks and flicks across her mound, lighting up every nerve. She is already so wet when that when I pull her swollen nub into my lips, I am surprised that this can drive her any wilder. She pulls Stefan down to her, moans into his smiling mouth as he moves his hand back to her trembling breasts.

* * *

><p>I watch Elena's eyes flutter shut. Her bow-shaped mouth falls open and her chest rises and falls rapidly as she hovers on the edge of climax. I briefly tangle my hand in Damon's hair, along with hers, before sitting up. I want the rest of my clothes off. They are both naked and I feel overdressed.<p>

Shedding my pants at speed, I rejoin them on the bed. My lips find Elena's again, her kiss is fervent, attacking. I tweak her nipple in the way I know drives her wild and she groans into my mouth. She is about to come, but then Damon stops suddenly, grabs me and puts his mouth on my cock. He is slick with Elena's juices. He takes me in deep. It feels beyond amazing.

His tongue licks along my shaft, I shudder with pleasure. His lips pull my balls into his mouth, one at a time, rolling them around, licking. His fist has encircled my rock hard dick and is pumping, fast. I can't help myself, I bite Elena's lower lip and not gently.

She yelps and pulls back. "Oh God, I'm sorry," I cry, the words barely leaving before they are followed by, "Holy shit, Damon. That feels so fucking great. Stop."

* * *

><p>I laugh, the pain in my lip already fading. "You want him to <em>stop<em>?" I tease, "When it feels 'so fucking great'? I rather thought that was the point!"

Stefan growls gently and draws on Damon's shoulders. Damon raises his head, shakes it in mock disgust, I can tell he doesn't want to stop. But he obeys with a smile and pulls himself up along my body, trailing kisses as he makes his way. Stefan strokes his brother's back.

I feel Damon's erection between my legs and think he is going to enter me. But he doesn't. He rubs himself up and down against me, and if it is even possible, I feel myself getting wetter. He and Stefan are kissing now, their faces inches from mine. I am going to come.

Suddenly, Damon rolls off me, away from Stefan. Before I can protest, Stefan's body covers mine and he enters me swiftly, easily. I cry out, he feels so good inside me as he moves slowly, deeply. He remembers what tips me over. I come, waves upon waves of heat washing over me. My mouth is covered by Damon's and I am lost to my senses, my whole body rushing with the pleasure. My muscles contracting violently that make Stefan move faster with shorter, more frantic strokes. I barely notice that Damon has moved away from me.

Without warning, I feel Stefan pause briefly. I frown, I need more. But just as I am about to protest, urge him on, I feel him moan into my mouth.

Simultaneously I feel additional pressure, on me, in me, and I understand that Damon has entered his brother's body from behind. This realization only serves to heighten my arousal and I begin to push my hips upwards, matching Damon's thrusts.

* * *

><p>"Fuck." I'm barely hanging on, all thoughts except those of Stefan and Elena gone from my mind. I drive myself into Stefan again and again. With each push, I hear them cry out loud, their sound and scent threatening to throw me over the edge. Their moans of pleasure fill me and I speed my movements, craving the friction, the tightness of Stefan.<p>

I can see Elena's face. She opens her eyes and smiles up at me, pupils wide, arousal reflected in the dark pools. "I love you" she whispers and I know she is talking to me. I smile back at her, wink, then lean against Stefan's back, pressing my cheek against his cool flesh. I have never been happier.

Stefan throws his head back, calls out Elena's name, then mine. I feel his orgasm, I hold still, my cock buried deep inside him, letting him ride it out. Next I feel Elena come again, I watch her lovely face as she crests, then shudders into stillness.

* * *

><p>I collapse onto Elena, then instantly worry the additional weight of Damon and I together will crush her. But Damon is already pulling out, and falls onto his side. He is still hard. Typical Damon. He loves to make me come before he does, it's like a thing with him.<p>

I look at Elena, reach out to touch his erection, she smiles at me and he shudders at my touch. Wordlessly she can see what I am thinking and she moves around the bed until she is on the other side to me. Her hand joins mine and Damon writhes and moans beneath us as we two keep perfect time as we stroke together. He comes, loudly, calling out our names.

Much later, when we are in that place between consciousness and sleep, still lying together with our limbs entangled, it is hard to know where one of us stops and the other starts.

All I know with certainty is that this is where I belong. Damon and Elena are my home, my present, and my tomorrow. The imperfect events of the past have led us to this flawless moment.

We love each other completely, unreservedly and our bond will prove indestructible whatever the future throws our way. Because there is no greater love than ours.


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